


Two times made Tabitha's unusual sleeping habits a joke

by Choxy



Series: The second padawan [3]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Fluff and Humor, Friendship, Gen, Master & Padawan Relationship(s), Mentions of battle and death (very briefly!), Sleep, Sleepiness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-12
Updated: 2020-01-12
Packaged: 2021-02-24 21:00:29
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,637
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22224394
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Choxy/pseuds/Choxy
Summary: Fighting in a war as a twelve-year-old padawan is more than just tiring.Tabitha should know.Only, a bed isn't always there when you need it so why not use every space and time you can to sleep?
Relationships: 212th Attack Battalion & Original Female Character(s), Obi-Wan Kenobi & Original Female Character(s)
Series: The second padawan [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1594390
Comments: 4
Kudos: 70





	Two times made Tabitha's unusual sleeping habits a joke

**Author's Note:**

> This one-shot has been written quite a while back, so the writing could be a bit different.
> 
> Enjoy!

From the very beginning, Tabitha was a very active padawan, always eager to learn and help, finish missions to the best of her ability. 

Unfortunately, that particular level of determination results in sleepless nights and bone-deep fatigue.

And apparently, she seems to pick up for the lost sleep by dozing off at the most inopportune moments in the most uncomfortable positions. 

(That she was able to wait for sleep until her head hit the pillow after Christophsis, has everyone dumbfounded now.)

Obi-Wan and 212th had noticed her unique sleeping habits very early on, in the span of about a month. 

The first time was after an awfully bad battle.   
Everyone was running on fumes, shoulders hunched, heads down and feeling low. 

Not even Boil and Waxer's usual playful banter could cut through the raw atmosphere, therefore they didn't even try. 

Obi-Wan was aware that his padawan was more than just tired and exhausted, she was completely overwrought and spent. 

She was one of the main reasons so many had survived and that they even won.  
Had she not had the idea to sneak in through the vents and blow up the reactor of the droid factory, hundreds more would've died before they could've taken the hidden plant.   
If even.

At first, he wasn't too keen on the idea to send her in alone without backup, understandably.   
Unfortunately, she was the only one who fit in the vents and hence the only one who could go without being detected. 

If something had happened they wouldn't have been able to help her in time ('or at all...'). 

But fortunately, nothing did happen and Tabby came out unscathed minutes before the reactor blew to hell.

After that, the battle was a given success.   
The separatists we're too far scattered across the battlefield to do anything harmful and they had no time to regroup or rethink.   
Without command, droids are nothing but walking scrap, so taking them out and securing the factory was no problem. 

After days of unending battle (and death), it was time to finally leave the jungle planet and return to the Negotiator on shuttles to debrief and relax but they couldn't leave the factory entirely unprotected. They left some unlucky but unharmed clone troopers down on the surface to keep it secure until Master Plo Koon and his battalion arrived and took over. 

Multiple shuttles then picked up most of the ground forces, including Tabitha and Obi-Wan, taking off and setting to leave the atmosphere when Obi-Wan struck the thought that he hadn't seen Tabby since they boarded the shuttle. 

'Probably just checking on the men or finally sitting down.'   
So Obi-Wan let it be, checked on the injured and talked with Cody about anything and everything, mostly the status and well-being of their troops. 

They were in mid-conversation when the amused and low-pitched voice of a clone rang through the shuttle, causing every occupant to look up in wonder. 

"Ehm…. General?" 

Thereafter, Obi-Wan turned around to face the voice, one bushy eyebrow arched.  
The voice turned out to be Waxer's who was looking at a niche between a crate and the wall with crinkled eyes and a small smile on his lips.   
Following the seemingly unfounded entertainment in Waxer's voice, Boil walked over to his closest brother and looked over his shoulder.   
He too could not hide the quirk of his lips nor could he stifle the amusedly unbelieving snort. 

"Yes, Waxer?" Obi-Wan asked curiously, intrigued by both of the men's similar reactions.

The clone just waved him over without looking away from the niche, the crinkles in the corners of his eyes intensifying once he observed whatever for a few more seconds. 

Both Obi-Wan and Cody stood and walked over. 

They didn't know what they expected.   
Perhaps a native animal that sneaked onto the ship while no one was looking or something else completely unusual. 

But it certainly wasn't finding Tabby lying in between the crate and wall on the floor, feet propped up on the wall, hands intertwined on her stomach, fast asleep. 

Blinking owlishly, Obi-Wan admits now, that for one or ten seconds he had only stood there and regarded the resting padawan, totally flabbergasted. 

Her face was peaceful, all signs of stress caused in the last few days washed away in an instant, and her raven black hair haloed around her head. 

The girl's master had known Tabitha was craving sleep but she'd normally do that in her bed, like every other living being in need of it.   
To have that chosen that tight spot, the crave must have been enormous, too.

The Jedi Master chuckled at the sight.   
His heart warmed a little where it had sat cold as a stone in his chest, particularly after receiving the list of casualties on their side.

'How does she do it?' he asked himself. 'How can she make someone feel better purely by accident and without even being conscious?' 

Whilst the four men had silently watched the deep and even breaths rattling the girl's chest, other clones have taken quick glances over the crate as well laughing quietly as to not wake the padawan up from her peaceful slumber. 

Of course, their commander slept as unusually as she sometimes acted.   
That's just how she was and none of them believe that is a bad thing.   
Standing out of a crowd is better than going under in it. 

"Isn't that uncomfortable?" whispered Cody from beside him, gesturing to her legs.   
Absentmindedly, the ginger-haired male nodded and thought of a way to move his padawan without waking her up. 

'Well, not without a little help of the Force.' 

He turned his head to Cody and asked quietly "Do we have a blanket?" 

Cody nodded and immediately took off to find one inside the small shuttle. 

Boil and Waxer moved out of the way to let the Jedi Master do what he wanted to do but stayed close enough to help if needed.

Thankfully the nook was big enough so that Obi-Wanin could kneel next to his twelve-year-old padawan, although with difficulty, and slowly reached for her legs.   
He put one arm around her knees and one around her shoulders, lifting her gently from the floor. 

When she showed signs of stirring, Obi-Wan sent a Force suggestion to her, encouraging her to stay asleep. And she seemed overly content with that and snuggled up to his chest, sighing at the newfound warmth but staying blissfully unaware of the fond looks from multiple men around her, her master included.

He carried her over to one of the many seats, the one next to his previous one, and gently set her down.

Promptly, her head lolled to the side and her body sagged forward a little, so Obi-Wan kept his careful hands on her shoulders and sat down in the seat beside her, guiding her head to lie on his shoulder. 

When he was sure that Tabby wouldn't topple over, he let go of her shoulders and made himself comfy.  
He would have to play pillow for his padawan until they reached the Negotiator, which would take another ten to fifteen minutes if he was correct. 

He didn't mind even one minute.

Resigned to his not-so-bad fate, he grabbed the datapad he had placed down while talking to Cody and continued to read through its contents.

Several moments later Cody appeared in front of them with a blanket, thin but soft, and draped it over Tabitha, more sensible than one would think of a hardened soldier.

Obi-Wan gave him a small, grateful nod, which Cody acknowledged with an almost imperceptible nod of his own before sitting down next to his general, silently waiting and relaxing himself.

The rest of the flight was silent. 

But not the same sullen silence as before.   
It was lighter, some part of the mental anguish and stress taken away by the twelve-year-old sleeping soundly on the shoulder of her master. 

She just showed them what they were fighting for again. Peace for themselves and others.   
They fought for these moments, the moments where nothing else mattered except this. 

And if anyone somehow took a picture of the cute, little girl to remember it, no one mentioned it.

Cody just one with his helmet's function to show it to Rex later and watch while is hard-boiled brother melted at the sight.   
Rex had a soft spot for both Ahsoka and Tabitha, but who didn't?

It was not the last time it happened and it certainly wouldn't be for a long time.

The next time was more inopportune than the first time.

They were in hyperspace, just one hour away from their destination where the fighters were supposed to move out and pose as backup for Anakin's fleet, which was in a heavy fight with a separatist fleet above Dantooine. 

Obi-Wan was wandering around the busy hangar of the Negotiator, seeing if everything was ready for their impromptu mission.   
When he was satisfied that no one was going to die because of accidental system failure, he proceeded on to his and his padawan's starfighters. It would be better if he didn't die because of system failure either or Anakin would probably find a way to laugh at him even in death.   
He still thinks flying is for droids. And Anakin. 

What surprised him when he got there was that Tabitha was nowhere to be found. He had told her to prepare her fighter at least one hour ago, so where was she? 

Maybe she had already done her pre-flight checks and ambled off to do something else.   
That's probably it.

Deciding to try and com her, he pulled out his comlink. "Tabby?" He waited patiently for some seconds in which nothing happened so he tried again. 

When he still didn't get an answer, he commed Cody. The commander's voice was heard immediately.   
"Yes?"  
"Cody. Is Tabitha with you?"   
"No. I thought you told her to prepare her fighter, General."  
"I did, but she doesn't seem to be here. Have you seen her?"  
"No. I'm sorry, General. But I'll keep an eye out for her and tell you when I find her."  
"That would be much appreciated, thank you."  
With that, the call disconnected.

'There's one other way to find her.'

Obi-Wan focused on the bond between him and Tabby and felt her warm, blazing presence on the other end. 

It was truly fascinating how bright the force signature of this kid could be.   
When she was happy, overjoyed or excited, which was thankfully most of the time, it was like a bright star in the middle of vast space, shining like it wanted to warm everything and everyone around her, infecting them with the same joy and excitement.   
When she was sad, upset or grieving it was even easier to see, sadly. Her emerald eyes, always so full of life, dimmed just as much as the Force around her as if the shining star was slowly dying out.   
When she was angry the air around her seemed to thicken and the Force would emanate from her in intense and aggressive waves. 

But normally her presence was like a warm fire, comforting and safe for her friends but burning and dangerous for her enemies. 

Shaking himself out of his thoughts, he turned back to the task at hand, finding Tabitha.   
Therfore, he focused on her presence and tried to find out where she was. 

Only to be truly surprised that Tabby was supposed to be somewhere near him. 

He looked around minutely, looking for any sign of his padawan's whereabouts, but didn't spot her until his eyes settled on the open cockpit of her turquoise starfighter. 

Obi-Wan walked over with quiet strides and climbed the ladder.

Sneaking a peek over the edge of the cockpit, the Jedi couldn't say what he saw surprised him.

There she was, lying in the seat, feet propped up in a 90-degree angle on the right side of her fighter, arms crossed over her chest which lifted and fell with even deep breaths and her neck bent so that her chin was resting on her chest. 

That will hurt like all nine sith hells when she wakes up. 

Sighing with a fond smile on his lips, the ginger takes out his com again.  
"Yes, General?"  
"You don't have to worry about Tabby, Cody. I found her."   
There was a slight pause before Cody spoke again.  
"Where was she?"  
Obi-Wan chuckled and shook his head slightly. "In her fighter cockpit." He paused, eyeing his padawan amusedly, before continuing. "Sleeping."  
This time, Cody chuckled and Obi-Wan could practically hear the smirk. "Of course she is. Is she at least lying more comfortable than last time?"  
"If you count bending your neck so much it is practically at a full 90-degree angle as comfortable, then yes." Obi-Wan remarked and he could hear a sympathetic hiss at the other end of the line. "Yeah, that'll hurt."  
"Indeed. I will speak to you later, Cody. I have to wake up a certain sleeping beauty from her slumber."  
"Do that, General. And do remind her that if she plans to sleep in places like that more often to do it in more comfortable positions."

Obi-Wan laughed a little at the comment and switched off the com, packing it away. 

Grabbing Tabby's shoulder, Obi-Wan shook her lightly and waited.  
She stirred, mumbling something incoherent under her breath that could have been anything, eyelids fluttering open to reveal her sleepy, unfocused murky greens. 

"Tabitha?" Obi-Wan asked softly.   
The girl hummed in reply. A soft barely hearable sound over the busy commotion in the hangar around them. 

Her eyes focused slowly and after another few moments, she seemed to realize where she was and what she was doing before she fell asleep because she startled a little, feet sliding down to the floor and sitting up quite clumsily. 

The Jedi Master waited as the girl sat upright and looked around.   
"What…?" She was cut off by a jaw-cracking yawn, rubbing her eyes to get the last traces of sleep out of them.  
"Seems like your fighter must have been comfortable. You slept soundly when I got here."   
Tabitha turned to look at him again and when she saw his smirk, she blushed furiously. She rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly and looked at the floor of the cockpit.   
"Ehm, yeah. I may not have gotten enough sleep last night." She explained embarrassedly. "But I prepped my fighter. Everything's good." She added hastily. 

Obi-Wan shook his head and smiled but was fast to reassure her. "It's fine. As long as I don't have to worry about your fighter blowing up accidentally, everything's good. And you at least got a little bit of sleep before moving out." Tabby smiled brightly up at him but groaned shortly after, massaging her neck.   
"I'm never sleeping in this thing again. My neck feels like it's so close to breaking."   
"Great idea. At least your learning from your mistakes, padawan." He replied sarcastically while climbing down the ladder. 

"Oh. And I'm supposed to tell you from our dear commander that if you're planning on sleeping in places like this again, to do it a bit more comfortable." He called back to her while walking to his fighter. 

He only heard a loud groan in response and laughed heartily.

She never took the advice and was always found in the most uncomfortable positions when she slept.   
It became an inside joke between the members of the 212th (and even the 501st because they had found her sleeping like that in the middle of a mission once).   
And even though Tabitha complained greatly about it, she never could suppress the small smiles pulling at her lips when jokes were made. 

She wouldn't have it any other way.


End file.
